Author丨Zhou Hui
Editor丨Chen Jie
Figure source丨Figure worm
In the upcoming "May Day" holiday, the popularity of tourism will increase steadily on the basis of the high level of the Qingming holiday.
According to Meituan data, as of April 24, the number of cultural tourism bookings (including scenic spots, accommodation, transportation, etc.) during the May Day holiday increased by more than 190% week-on-week, with Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi'an, Changsha, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing, and Qingdao being the top 10 popular destinations in the country.
The 21st Century Business Herald reporter took stock of the May Day cultural tourism consumption booking data and found that from the overall situation, the integration trend of culture, sports and tourism in the tourism market has been further strengthened, and a number of concerts, music festivals, and sports events held during the May Day period will drive the continuous growth of local catering, transportation, and shopping. In addition, more and more lower-tier tourist destinations are gaining popularity, and the tourism market in third- and fourth-tier cities and below, especially at the county level, has grown significantly.
At the same time, outbound travel is ushering in a peak of bookings, not only with bookings exceeding 2023, but also with a changing mindset among consumers. When traveling abroad, more and more consumers refuse to "look at the flowers", and are no longer keen on arranging compact and centralized travel group check-ins, but more cost-effective and comfortable experience, which also drives the growth of related car rental, train and guide services.
The integration of culture, sports and tourism drives consumption
"On the weekend, some of them watched F1 in Shanghai, and some of them ran marathons all over the country. On April 21, a middle-aged man in Beijing sighed in the circle of friends. On weekends and holidays, participating in or watching sports events has become an important part of the leisure life of city residents.
During the "May Day" holiday, the integration of sports and cultural tourism has also been further accelerated. The just-concluded Formula One World Championship (F1) Shanghai Station attracted many celebrities, Internet celebrities and entrepreneurs to watch the race, during the event, the consumption of wine and tourism increased significantly, the price of hotels soared, and more people in China learned about F1 cars.
After the F1 Championship, the Shanghai Sports Consumption Festival kicked off again, and Shanghai continued to increase its "sports + travel". According to Ctrip data, Shanghai ranks second among the top 10 most popular destinations on May Day and first among popular destinations for inbound travel.
According to Xu Qi, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Sports Bureau, at the recent National Sports Industry Work Conference, in 2023, 118 international and domestic sports events will be held in Shanghai, driving a total of 3.713 billion yuan of consumption, of which 799 million yuan is core consumption and 2.914 billion yuan is related consumption;
A sports industry practitioner who went from Shanghai to a county in Shanxi to watch the cross-country race in mid-April told the 21st Century Business Herald reporter that for local governments, the event is an important way to increase the content of cultural tourism, and local governments attach great importance to it. Although the transportation to the destination of the race is not very convenient, the event has been well organized.
In addition to sporting events, traveling with concerts has become a new way for young people to travel, going to a city for a show, watching concerts, and experiencing local experiences. According to incomplete statistics, hundreds of concerts and music festivals will be held across the country during the "May Day" holiday. According to Fliggy's data, hotel bookings around the May Day holiday concerts and music festivals doubled year-on-year.
On the Ctrip platform, Deng Ziqi's Tianjin concert, Chengdu 2024 Tang You Cup, and music festivals in Tianjin, Xiamen, Changzhou and other places held during the "May Day" holiday are popular with tourists, and the search popularity is high. The two concerts of Ren Xianqi and Xue Zhiqian drove the "May Day" holiday hotel orders to increase by 105% year-on-year, of which foreign tourists accounted for 90%.
Tourism in lower-tier cities and counties continues to heat up
According to Meituan's data, in recent years, taste bud tours, travel photography, and the search for niche destinations have continued to be popular, and have become a popular trend in travel and tourism this year.
According to Meituan's data, accommodation bookings in cities such as Tianshui, Zhengding, Zibo, Taizhou, Liuzhou, Chaozhou, and Yanji have increased significantly. Taking Zhengding as an example, in the past two weeks, the search popularity of "Zhengding Night Market" has increased by 13 times compared with the previous two weeks, and "Zhengding Night Market Food" and "Zhengding Night Market Accommodation" have become high-frequency search keywords. Taizhou, Zhejiang Province is also a popular town for May Day "taste bud tour". As of April 24, the number of travel bookings such as accommodation and tickets during the May Day period in Taizhou increased by more than 220% week-on-week.
With the popularity of travel photography, Luoyang's "Guifei Photo", Quanzhou Hairpin Photo, Yanbian "Yanji Princess", Handan Warring States Robe and other immersive "travel dressing" experiences are booming, and a number of niche tourist cities are out of the circle. Meituan data shows that since April, the search volume of "Hanfu makeup" has increased by 136% year-on-year, with Xi'an, Luoyang, and Suzhou ranking among the top three search popularity.
According to the data provided by Tujia, the search volume of homestays related to "Hanfu", "hairpin" and "Korean" has increased by 300% on the Tujia platform.
From the perspective of the supply side, with the improvement of infrastructure and the improvement of tourism reception capacity in various places, cost-effective and distinctive sinking tourist destinations can bring tourists a good travel experience.
On the one hand, many lower-tier cities have perfect infrastructure and convenient transportation, Ctrip data shows that low-tier cities with regional airports, such as Huaihua, Chifeng, Hotan, Heze and other cities, have seen a significant year-on-year increase in air ticket bookings, most of which exceed 5 percent.
From the perspective of consumers, more and more urban white-collar workers are more enjoying holidays, and prices in lower-tier cities are relatively low, especially small towns directly connected by high-speed rail circles around big cities, which are good "not expensive and not crowded" destinations. Xiao Xiao, a tourist from Beijing who chooses a niche destination, told reporters that he is already very tired from the "May Day" holiday, and instead of going to Internet celebrity cities to see the crowds, it is better to go directly to the surrounding cities to relax and wander.
Outbound travel pays more attention to the sense of experience
This year's "May Day" holiday users' enthusiasm for travel remained high, and the trend of outbound travel increased significantly. Fliggy's data shows that as of now, the number of bookings for international hotels, air tickets, and car rentals has far exceeded that of May Day in 2023. In terms of destinations, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and other places are the most popular, while destinations farther away from China, such as Austria, Turkey, Spain and Brazil, have ushered in rapid growth in product bookings, becoming "dark horse players".
Turkey, Diagram / Diagram Worm
Different from the past, with the change of consumption mentality of overseas tourists, many tourists refuse to rush to "buy, buy, buy" or check in with a group as in the past, but hope to have the opportunity to experience the authentic local lifestyle. Fliggy's data shows that in the choice of outbound travel, the proportion of group tours has decreased compared with last year, while the proportion of independent travel has continued to rise, and the number of bookings for Fliggy's overseas car rental services has increased nearly fourfold compared to last year.
In addition to renting a car for self-driving, train travel or an "immersive experience" with a local guide are also favored by tourists, which can also be seen that tourists have a stronger demand for in-depth tourism. Ctrip data shows that up to now, the number of orders for overseas local guides on the Ctrip platform has increased by 60% year-on-year, and it is expected to increase by 90% year-on-year during the May Day period.
The relevant person in charge of Ctrip's overseas train tickets told reporters that on the one hand, with the change of tourism concepts, more and more multinational travelers have a strong desire to explore destinations. On the other hand, domestic travel service providers are also striving to provide users with more convenient online booking services and experiences, and users can complete one-stop bookings on the platform, eliminating the trouble of language and payment methods.
In addition, thanks to the recovery of international routes and the increase in supply, this year's May Day outbound travel is more cost-effective than in 2023. Fliggy's data shows that during the May Day period, the per capita purchase price of international air tickets decreased by 19% year-on-year, and the air tickets were much cheaper than last year, and there was more room for choice of overseas travel destinations.
In terms of inbound travel, during the May Day holiday, inbound travel bookings increased by 130% year-on-year, with major inbound countries including Japan, the United States, South Korea, Canada, Malaysia, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Australia, Russia and France. Popular domestic destinations for foreign tourists include Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Qingdao, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Xi'an, and Kunming.
SFC
Editor: Liu Xueying, intern: Li Jie
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